Uitkerke is in

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

and is part of the coastal city of Blankenberge,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The two neighboring communities were officially united in the early 1970s.

History

Uitkerke, as an independent village, is more than a thousand years old. Historically, since its main occupation was agriculture, it once occupied more in territory than its neighbor, Blankenberge.

Derivation

Translated from the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

''Uitkerke'' means "outer church". Populated places in West Flanders Blankenberge {{WestFlanders-geo-stub